We all know how important it is and how it should be used. But few know how to really protect it. Find out how easy it is to discover a password and learn some tricks for a truly impenetrable password.
The security of a password is measured by the time it takes to find it. For the most common passwords it takes seconds, for the strongest even thousands of years. If you want to prove how strong your password is, you can find several sites online that calculate the time it takes to "crack" it, for example https://www.passwordmonster.com/. Find out how long it takes for passwords from the previous exercise.
The method adopted by the attackers is as “simple” as it is brilliant. Instead of looking for an account password, in fact, they look for the account that fits a password. They basically try a variety of common passwords on a large number of accounts, until they find the right ones. The password list is often the result of a theft on another site (data breach). This is why it is good to avoid using the same password on multiple sites!
Authentication is the process by which the identity of a user who wants to access a computer or a network is verified. It is the system that effectively verifies that an individual is who he claims to be.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA = Multi Factor Authentication) uses two or more elements that differ in:
Multi-factor authentication is an electronic authentication method in which a user is granted access to a website or application only after successfully submitting two or more proofs to an authentication mechanism. authentication: “Something you know”, “Something you own”, “Something you are”.
The ideal password is one that is difficult to discover, but easy to remember. Over the years, several techniques have been invented to create strong, easy-to-remember passwords, such as passphrase and acronyms techniques.
Follow this guide for a secure password
If a hacker finds your password on one site, he will try to use it to hack your other accounts.
Do not use the name of your girlfriend or your child or your dog. Hackers try to log into your account using common word vocabularies. At the limit, he uses distorted common words, for example: okkiali, alleggria, semoforo. Also adding some numbers and special characters.
Do not use your date of birth, or your address and in general do not use passwords that may have personal ties with you.
Do not use only letters, but also numbers, capital letters, punctuation and special characters such as%, $, &, etc...
Although many systems require a minimum length of 8 characters, it is better to create longer passwords.
Use the passphrase or acronyms technique to create strong, easy-to-remember passwords.
Several sites offer a "fact checking" service, which allows you to distinguish fake news from real news. Some examples of sites you can use: hoaxsearch.com and the Italian bufale.net.
The longer you use a password, the more time the hacker has to crack it. Be smarter. Change it every 3 months and don't use a previously used one.
Never save your passwords and never check the “Remember me” box when using a computer that isn't yours. Don't share it with anyone. A password is like chewing gum - it's better at first and you can't share it with others.
Use the password manager built into your browser. Also consider using password managers like LastPass, 1Password, KeePass, Bitwarden, etc.
